Tire building apparatus

ABSTRACT

Tire building apparatus for applying narrow strip, such as a chipper, a chafer, or the like on a tire carcass supported on a building drum. An applying wheel pressed against the carcass to roll thereon transfers the strip from a guide palm. When about three-fourths of the desired circumferential length of the strip is laid about the carcass, the palm is raised outwardly of the wheel carrying the strip held thereby past a fixed hot knife, severing the appropriate length of the strip which continues on to the carcass. The operation can be entirely automatic. The foregoing abstract is not to be taken as limiting the invention of this application, and in order to understand the full nature and extent of the technical disclosure of this application, reference must be made to the accompanying drawing and the following detailed description.

Unite States tent Kuhinski Sept. 9, 1975 [54] TIRE BUILDHNG APPARATUS3,654,828 4 1972 Leblond et a1 156/405 1 1 Inventor v- Kubinski,Wadsworth, 3:331:13 13/1333 iifliiifiiiif' ......::::1 122123? Ohio3,844,871 10/1974 Habert et a1 156/405 [73] Assignee The Gown/ear Tire &Rubber 3,852,142 12/1974 Leblond et a1 156/405 Company, Akron, OhioFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [22] Filed, Oct 15, 1974 663,312 12 1951United Kingdom 156/405 [21] Appl- N05 514,348 Primary Examiner-CliftonB. Cosby Attorney, Agent, or FirmF. W. Brunner; R. S. 52 us. (:1156/405; 156/123 Washbum [51] int. Cl. B2911 17/20 [58] Field of Search156/405, 405 P, 123, 398 ABSTRACT Tire building apparatus for applyingnarrow Strip, such [56] References Cited as a chipper, a chafer, or thelike on a tire carcass sup- UNITED STATES p ENTg ported on a buildingdrum. An applying wheel pressed 1,255,073 1/1918 Abbott 156/405 xagainst carcass to them) transfers the Strip 1,327,910 1/1920 Harsel156/405 X from a gulde P when about three-fourths of the 1,419,0646/1922 Landon" 56/405 desired circumferential length of the strip islaid about 1,671,941 5/1928 Sterens 156/405 the carcass, the palm israised outwardly of the wheel 1,717,845 6/1929 lrrgang 156/405 carryingthe strip held thereby past a fixed hot knife, 1,734,242 11/1928 wiklfi156/405 severing the appropriate length of the trip con- 1,762,7526/1930 Abbott" 156/405 X tinues on to the carcass. The operation can beentirely 1,938,787 12/1933 Abbott... 156/405 automatic. 1,957,981 5/1934Shook 156/405 X v I 2,035,422 3/1936 Bret}, aluu 156/4135 X The toregomgabstract is not to be taken as limiting 2 259 1 2 10 1941 i h et 1, 15405 X the invention of this application, and in order to 2,588,2073/1952 Cleland et a1.... 156/405 X understand the full nature and extentof the technical 2,665,757 1/ 1954 Stevens Ct 811 156/405 X disclosureof this application, reference must be made 2,690,784 10/1954 Haas?159/405 X to the accompanying drawing and the following 2,988,131 6/1961Frohlicn et a1. 156/405 detailad description 3,547,732 12/1970 Leblond156/405 3,595,724 7/1971 Lebloncl 156/405 2 Claims, .3 Drawing FiguresPATENTED SEP 9 SHEET 1 BF 2 PATENTED SEP 91975 SHiET 2 [IF 2 TIREBUILDING APPARATUS The present invention relates to tire buildingapparatus and particularly to an apparatus or device for applying to atire carcass, a narrow strip of tire building stock such as a chipper, achafer, or the like.

It is an object of the invention to improve the accuracy and efficiencyof applying a narrow strip of tire building material to a tire carcass.

To acquaint persons skilled in tire building with the principles andpractices of the invention, a presently preferred embodiment and bestknown mode of practice of the invention are set forth in the followingdescription and in the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of an apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view, as indicated by the line 2-2, of theapparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view -of a portion of the apparatus ofFIG. 1, taken as indicated by the line 33 therein.

In the specific embodiment illustrated in the drawings, an apparatusaccording to the invention is particularly adapted to apply to a tirecarcass C a narrow strip S known commonly as a chipper. The chipperstrip S is a narrow, single ply of bias-cut, wirereinforced fabric whichhas been calender-coated with a suitable known rubber compound, thenbias-cut, and spliced to form a running length of narrow bias strip. Thestrip is applied to a tire carcass circumferentially in the bead regionas is well understood in the art.

Briefly, the apparatus 10 according to the invention comprises astrip-applying wheel having a circumferential surface 21 fortransferring the strip to the carcass, which is mounted on aconventional tire building .drum. The wheel is rotatable about an axisparallel to the drum axis. The cylindrical surface 21 of the wheel has aplurality of annular grooves 22 opening to the surface. A strip controlpalm having a strip conveying guide 31 extending tangentially to thesurface 21 of the wheel is mounted on a rock shaft 33 rockable about anaxis which is fixed parallel to the wheel axis. The palm 30 has aplurality of fingers 35 extending individually into the respectiveannular grooves 22. The tips 36 of the fingers terminate in a lineextending transversely of the strip at an angle with respect to the axisof the wheel equal to the angle of disposition of the wire reinforcementelements in the strip.

To sever the strip to an appropriate length after the strip has beenwrapped part way about the drum, a hot knife 40 is fixed relative to thecircumferential surface 21 of the wheel and extends transversely of thestrip parallel to the line of the tips 36 of the fingers. Preferably,the knife and the tips of the fingers are disposed close to the nip 42formed between the wheel and the drum or the carcass to which the stripis applied.

Means for rocking or swinging the rock shaft 33 and the palm 30 fixedthereon are provided in the present embodiment by a single small aircylinder 44 conventionally connected to a crank 45 on the rock shaft 33.

The apparatus thus far described is an integral assembly movable towardand away from the tire building drum between the operativestrip-applying relation to the drum or carcass C as illustrated, to asuitably remote location spaced away from the building drum. In theillustrated embodiment, means for moving the applying wheel 20 and theassociated elements toward and away from the drum are provided by aframe 50 having a pair of spaced parallel side plates 52 each of whichcarries a flanged bearing housing 54 in which is mounted a shaft 56carrying the wheel 20 for rotation about an axis parallel to thebuilding drum axis. The side plates are connected to an elevator plate58 by four slide rods 60 which extend parallel to the plane defined bythe drum axis and the wheel axis. The respective rods 60 are mountedslidably in bushings 61 fixed in a base 63 which itself is mountedslidably in a direction parallel to the drum axis on a pair of supportbars 65 parallel to and fixed with respect to the drum axis. Means foradjusting the wheel 20 axially of the tire building drum is provided bya screw 67 which is rotatably fixed on a part of the tire buildingmachine (not shown) and cooperates with a tapped hole 68 in the base 63to adjust the base and the wheel in a direction parallel to the drumaxis.

To move the wheel 20 between its operative position as shown in FIGS. 1and 2, and the aforementioned remote position, an air cylinder 70 theflange 71 of which is attached to the elevator plate 58 has a piston rod73 which is threaded into a portion of the base such that uponactivation the cylinder, the frame 50, including the elevator plate 58,the slide rods 60, and the side plates 52, are moved downwardly asindicated by the arrow 75 as will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art. The means described for moving the applying wheel 20 can beprovided by any of numerous available equivalents.

Considering the wheel in more detail, as best seen in FIG. 2, thecylindrical surface 21 is cut away to form the grooves 22 leaving a pairof circumferential ribs 80. To provide secure transport of the strip S,a multiplicity of needle points 81 are set in the ribs so as topartially or completely penetrate the strip being applied. Suitableadhesion of the strip to the transfer surface 21 can be achieved byother means but the needle points are preferred for the wire-reinforcedchipper strip. In addition, the wheel 20 is provided in the presentembodiment with a flange 83 sufficiently larger in diameter than thetransfer surface to provide a guide for one edge S of the strip toinsure that the strip is not laterally displaced.

The previously mentioned rock shaft 33 is supported rotatably inbushings 91 fixed in the respective side plates 52 and extends throughone side plate to accommodate the crank 45. The air cylinder 44 whichactuates the rock shaft is mounted pivotally at one end on an extension52a of the side plate and is connected by a conventional clevis and pin93 to the crank. The palm 30 extends forwardly from the rock shaft 33(toward the nip 42) to place'the fingers 35 respectively in the grooves22 beneath the transfer surface 21 and the strip S thereon. Theconveying surface 31 of the palm extends rearwardly from the rock shaftand is provided by a plurality of small rollers 95 preferably of nylonor the like which are rotatably mounted on pins fixed in a pair ofparallel side members 30a and 30b of the palm. Alternate ones of therollers are provided with flanges 95a which cooperate to provide alateral edge guide for the strip edge 8'.

To assist in controlling the advance of the strip, a spring plate isfirmly attached to the respective side members 30a, 30b of the palm andextends in overlying relation to the conveying surface 31 forwardly as acantilever terminating at an edge 101 closely parallel to the line ofthe tips 36 of the fingers. The spring 100 is urged resiliently andgently against the strip S carried on the fingers 35 with sufficientpressure to prevent the strip S from being accidentally withdrawn but toallow the wheel 20 to draw the strip onto the transfer surface 21without undue tension.

The applying wheel 2% is driven only by the rotation of the tirebuilding drum by nn-slip rolling contact therebetween. The drum isdriven by conventional single revolution drive ll and is thusindependent of the' diameter of the carcass C to which the strip 8 isapplied. A conventional limit switch 112 provides means for producing asignal in response to a partial revoiution of the carcass as the stripis wrapped thereon. Preferably the rotation is in excess of 270, aboutthreequarters of a revolution, and preferably sufficient to bring theleading end S" of the strip on the carcass as close to the nip 42 as ispractical. in response to the signal, the drive iii) and rotation of thecarcass are stopped and the air cylinder 44 is actuated to lift thefingers 35 of the palm, and the strip S held thereagainst by the springplate 100, outwardly away from the transfer surface 21 and into severingrelation with the stationary knife 40. The rotation of the tire drum isthen resumed and the remaining portion of the now severed strip S istransferred onto the carcass, placing the trailing and freshly cut end Sin suitable splicing relation with the leading edge S" already on thecarcass.

The air cylinder 44 is then actuated to rock the fingets back into thegrooves in the wheel while the strip, pinched gently between the fingersand the spring plate, is pressed to the transfer surface sufficientlythat the needle points 81 penetrate the new lead portion of the strip.

An optional but preferred feature of the invention is provided by aone-way clutch 129 which is mounted on the shaft 56 of the wheel and thepinion 122 which is mounted corotatably on the driving portion of theclutch 120. The pinion is engageable with a rack 124 which is fixed toan extension 65a of the base. As the wheel and its associated elementsare moved away from the drum, the pinion meshing with the fixed rack 124causes the wheel to rotate, in a clockwise direction as seen in FIG. 1,sufficiently to draw the freshly cut edge of the strip forwardapproximately to the line of centers, that is, the plane defined by thedrum axis and wheel axis. The apparatus is then ready to be moved up toits operating position to apply the narrow strip to the next carcass.The one-way clutch permits the wheel 20 and its associated elements tomove into engagement with the next carcass without rotation, the pinionrolling on the rack being disconnected by the one-way clutch from theshaft of the wheel.

in addition to the advantages of simplicity and low cost, the apparatusaccording to the invention can automatically, accurately and rapidlyplace narrow strips on a carcass being built on a conventional drum. Anapplying apparatus for narrow strips, identical but opposite in hand,can be applied at the other end (not shown) of the tire building drumsuch that each apparatus can apply one of a pair of strips such as thechipper strip described at a single station. The apparatus can be usedwith equal facility for applying relatively narrow strips of othermaterial in like manner. By cutting off the strip being applied close tothe nip in timed relation with the amount of strip already wrapped onthe carcass, an improvement in accuracy of the length of the strip isaccomplished. Inherent errors in the measurement are thus reduced to asmall and negligible fraction of the overall length of the strip wrappedon the carcass. The fresh end portion can be placed at or very close tothe nip so that the apparatus is ready for a prompt start to transferthe strip to the carcass. Additionally, by placing the rotation sensingmeans in operation and association with the drum drive means, there isno necessity for mounting feelers or the like to detect,

the location of the leading edge of the strip wrapped about the drum.

While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown forthe purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be madetherein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Tire building apparatus for applying narrow strip circumferentiallyabout a tire building drum comprising a strip-applying wheel having acircumferential sur face for transferring strip to a carcass on thedrum, the wheel being rotatable about an axis parallel to the drum axis,a plurality of annular grooves opening to said surface, a strip controlpalm mounted to rock about an axis fixed parallel to the wheel axis, thepalm having a strip conveying guide extending tangent to the transfersurface and having fingers extending respectively into said grooves, aknife fixed adjacent said wheel, extending transversely of the transfersurface and close to the terminals of said fingersQand means for rockingsaid palm to move said fingers out of the grooves to lift said stripfrom the transfer surface to severing relation with said knife.

2. Tire building apparatus for applying narrow strip on an incompletetire carcass carried on a tire building drum, comprising astrip-applying wheel mounted for rotation about an axis parallel to theaxis of the tire building drum and movable in a plane normal to the drumaxis between a remote position and a position defining a strip-applyingnip with said carcass; said wheel having a pair of circumferentialridges providing a cylindrical strip transfer surface and spaced axiallyof said wheel to define a plurality of annular grooves about the wheel;a multiplicity of strip penetrating needle points fixed in said ridgesto extend radially of said strip transfer surface, a shaft mounting saidwheel for rotation, bearing means rotatably supporting said shaft; aframe including a pair of parallel spaced side plates carrying saidbearing means, an elevator plate, and a plurality of slide rodsextending parallel to said plane between the respective side plates andsaid elevator plate; a pair of support beams extending parallel to theaxis of said drum and a base slidably supported on said beams andadjustably fixed thereon relative to the axial length of the drum, saidbase having a plurality of slides each slidably accommodating one ofsaid plurality of slide rods, a lift cylinder having its mounting flangesecured to said elevator plate and its piston rod secured to said baseand operable to move said wheel toward and away from said drum, a stripcontrol palm for controlling advance of the strip toward said wheel,said palm having strip guide surface tangent to the strip transfersurface of said wheel adjacent said nip and a plurality of fingers eachextending in one of said grooves toward said nip and beneath said strip,a spring plate fixed on said palm and biased toward said fingers tocontrol said strip of said grooves to lift said strip into severingrelation with said knife, and rotation responsive means emitting asignal at a predetermined angle of rotation of the drum and effective toactuate said air cylinder.

1. TIRE BUILDING APPARATUS FOR APPLYING NARROW STRIP CIRCUMFERENTIALLYABOUT A TIRE BUILDING DRUM COMPRISING A STRIP-APPLYING WHEEL HAVING ACIRCUMFERENTIAL SURFACE FOR TRANSFERRING STRIP TO A CARCASS ON THE DRUM,THE WHEEL BEING ROTATABLE ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE DRUM AXIS, APLURALITY OF ANOTHER GOOVES OPENING TO SAID SURFACE, A STRIP CONTROLPALM MOUNTED TO ROCK ABOUT AN AXIS FIXED PARALLEL TO THE WHEEL AXIS, THEPALM HAVING A STRIP CONVEYING GUIDE EXTENDING TANGENT TO THE TRANSFERSURFACE AND HAVING FINGERS EXTENDING RESPECTIVELY INTO SAID GROOVES, AKNIFE FIXED ADJACENT SAID WHEEL, EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE TRANSFERSURFACEE AND CLOSE TO THE TERMINALS OF SAID FINGERS,AND MEANS FORROCKING SAID PALM TO MOVE SAID FINGERS OUT OF THE GOOVES TO LIFT SAIDSTRIP FROM THE TRANSFER SURFACE TO SERVING RELATION WITH SAID KNIFE. 2.Tire building apparatus for applying narrow strip on an incomplete tirecarcass carried on a tire building drum, comprising a strip-applyingwheel mounted for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of thetire building drum and movable in a plane normal to the drum axisbetween a remote position and a position defining a strip-applying nipwith said carcass; said wheel having a pair of circumferential ridgesproviding a cylindrical strip transfer surface and spaced axially ofsaid wheel to define a plurality of annular grooves about the wheel; amultiplicity of strip penetrating needle points fixed in said ridges toextend radially of said strip transfer surface, a shaft mounting saidwheel for rotation, bearing means rotatably supporting said shaft; aframe including a pair of parallel spaced side plates carrying saidbearing means, an elevator plate, and a plurality of slide rodsextending parallel to said plane between the respective side plates andsaid elevator plate; a pair of support beams extending parallel to theaxis of said drum and a base slidably supported on said beams andadjustably fixed thereon relative to the axial length of the drum, saidbase having a plurality of slides each slidably accommodating one ofsaid plurality of slide rods, a lift cylinder having its mounting flangesecured to said elevator plate and its piston rod secured to said baseand operable to move said wheel toward and away from said drum, a stripcontrol palm for controlling advance of the strip toward said wheel,said palm having strip guide surface tangent to the strIp transfersurface of said wheel adjacent said nip and a plurality of fingers eachextending in one of said grooves toward said nip and beneath said strip,a spring plate fixed on said palm and biased toward said fingers tocontrol said strip therebetween, a hot knife fixed on said frame closeto said nip to cooperate with said fingers to sever said strip parallelto and between adjacent cord elements therein, a rock shaft carryingsaid palm to rock about an axis parallel to the wheel axis, an aircylinder operable to rock the rock shaft and palm to move said fingersout of said grooves to lift said strip into severing relation with saidknife, and rotation responsive means emitting a signal at apredetermined angle of rotation of the drum and effective to actuatesaid air cylinder.